IT Governance Council Charter & By-Laws

Article 1: Charter

1.1 Mission
In alignment with the University’s Executive Information Technology (IT) Governance program, the LSU A&M IT Governance Council (ITGC or Council) ensures IT resources are directed to the overarching strategic vision and priorities established by the LSU System and the LSU A&M campus.

1.2 Charge
The Council provides strategic direction for LSU A&M IT activities and oversight for policies, standards, and processes to achieve institutional priorities in support of the university’s mission.

1.3 Purpose

  • Establish the LSU A&M IT strategic roadmap.
  • Promote opportunities for enhancing LSU A&M IT effectiveness.
  • Define strategies for efficient shared services at LSU A&M and with other LSU institutions.
  • Strategically prioritize safeguards for the management of LSU A&M IT assets.
  • Enhance transparency of LSU A&M IT activities, including awareness of IT governance.
  • Provide oversight for LSU A&M compliance with LSU PM-49: Information Technology Governance and other IT-related accountability
  • requirements established by the LSU Executive Information Technology Governance Council (EITGC) or other university offices.

1.4 Guiding Principles

  • Promote a culture of innovative thinking in seeking IT solutions that enhance teaching, research, and service.
  • Align IT priorities and resources within the scope of the University’s IT vision and the LSU A&M strategic roadmap.
  • Build campus-wide trust via collaboration, partnership, and communication.
  • Promote transparency and accountability across all facets of the IT Governance program.
  • Foster an environment that exercises fiscal, human, and data stewardship in all efforts.
  • Strive to involve all stakeholders and, where feasible, to include the requirements of all impacted units (and LSU institutions, if applicable) when seeking Enterprise IT solutions.

1.5 Membership

Voting membership includes 13 representatives with one member from each of the following areas:

  • Academic Affairs [At-Large]
  • Colleges [Associate Dean]
  • Accounting Services
  • Athletics
  • Internal Audit
  • Enrollment Management
  • Faculty [At-Large]
  • Faculty Senate
  • Finance & Administration [At-Large]
  • Research & Economic Development
  • Staff Senate
  • Student Government
  • Student Affairs

Ex-Officio (non-voting) membership includes the following positions:

  • Vice President, LSU Online & Continuing Education
  • Associate Vice President, Information Technology Services & CIO
  • Subcommittee Chairs, LSU A&M ITGC
  • Immediate Past Chair, LSU A&M ITGC
  • Assistant Vice President, Procurement and Property Management & CPO (or designee)

Voting members are appointed by each representational area to serve a two-year term with an option for extension at one-year intervals. Should a membership vacancy occur before the end of a term, the applicable representational area shall appoint a new representative to a start a new term. Members must understand overall IT impact in their representational areas, but not have day-to-day responsibility for IT operations.

1.6 Executive Officers

The Council Chair and Vice-Chair shall be jointly appointed by the Executive Vice President & Provost (EVPP) and the Executive Vice President & CFO (EVPCFO) to serve a two-year term. At the end of the Chair’s two-year term, the Vice-Chair shall assume the Chair role, the EVPP and the EVPCFO shall appoint a new Vice-Chair, and the immediate past Chair shall continue service on the Council in an ex-officio capacity for one year. Should an executive officer vacancy occur before the end of a term, a new appointment shall be made by the EVPP and the EVPCFO. The Chair and the Vice-Chair shall be from different representational areas (e.g., Academic Affairs, Finance and Administration).

1.7 Annual Review

The LSU A&M ITGC shall conduct an annual review of this Charter and Bylaws, including membership composition, to ensure continued effectiveness. Any recommended changes shall be presented to the full Council for feedback and approval prior to a recommendation to the EVPP and the EVPCFO.

1.8 Key Definitions
Enterprise Information Technology refers to IT solutions, resources, and data that are shared across organizational units or organizations. Enterprise IT includes the technology staff, services, and support associated with enterprise systems and services used to store and manage data and processes, regardless of whether hosted on-campus, in the cloud, or through shared services. This is accomplished through realized economies of scale, formally designed, tested, implemented and supported solutions, that run mission-critical software.

Information Technology Assets includes IT equipment, software, and information (e.g., data).

Information Technology Governance (ITG) refers to the framework, policies, standards, structures and processes established by the University and each LSU institution to ensure that IT strategies are in alignment with stated goals.

Article 2: By-Laws

2.1 Officer and Member Responsibilities

The Chair shall:

  • Make all final decisions on agenda items, including requests for presentations and guest speakers.
  • Ensure distribution of a meeting agenda and related materials to all members at least one week prior to each scheduled meeting.
  • Facilitate Council meetings.
  • Determine the need for additional regular or special meetings.
  • Declare vacant a member’s seat if repeatedly absent from Council meetings or not actively engaged.

The Vice-Chair shall:

  • Perform the duties of the Chair in the absence of the Chair and other duties as requested by the Chair.
  • Serve as the Chair of a subcommittee or working group, if applicable.
  • The Immediate Past-Chair shall serve in an advisory capacity to the new Chair for one year.

The Council Members shall:

  • Actively engage, including meeting attendance either in-person or remotely and adequate preparation to fully participate in meeting discussions and to take informed action on recommendations presented to the Council for consideration.
  • Contribute suggested agenda topics and items of inquiry for consideration by the Council or a subcommittee/working group.
  • Serve as the liaison to the member’s representational area, including disseminating information, seeking feedback regarding agenda items, and keeping the representational area’s leadership and others informed.

2.2 Meetings

  • Meetings are scheduled quarterly or as needed.
  • Agendas and related materials will be provided at least one week in advance of the next scheduled meeting. Meeting materials will be available via a content management system.
  • The minutes of each meeting shall be prepared by the support staff of the ITGC A&M Council. Minutes will be distributed and approved or corrected at the following full Council meeting. After approval, the minutes will be posted to the LSU A&M ITGC website.

2.3 Voting

  • The minutes of each meeting shall be prepared by the support staff of the ITGC A&M Council. Minutes will be distributed and approved or corrected at the following full Council meeting. After approval, the minutes will be posted to the LSU A&M ITGC website.
  • In those rare instances wherein meeting attendance is not possible, the member may submit prior written notice to the Chair naming a proxy to attend the meeting on their behalf. The proxy must be affiliated with the same representational area as the member. The proxy will serve in a limited capacity to vote only as directed by the member. If an agenda item precludes the use of a proxy, the Chair may declare in advance that meeting as not eligible for proxy use.
  • All project requests shall be presented by the Chair to the EVPP and the EVPCFO for approval. The decision shall be communicated by the support staff of the LSU A&M ITGC to the requestor and others, as needed.
  • A denied request may be appealed by submitting written notice to the Chair that includes justification for the appeal. The Chair will review and advance the appeal to the EVPP and the EVPCFO. The requestor may be called upon to discuss the matter, if needed. A final decision will ultimately be communicated to the requestor by the Chair.

2.4 Project Approval and Prioritization

Proposed projects shall be vetted via the appropriate governance process, academic or administrative. Those projects deemed to have significant campus impact shall be presented to the Council for consideration and a subsequent recommendation made to the EVPP and the EVPCFO for final determination.

The project prioritization process, as approved by the Council, shall be based on identified risk criteria and alignment of projects with the university’s strategic priorities, as defined by the LSU A&M IT strategic roadmap.

2.5 Amendments and Changes to Approved Projects

When a significant change in scope to a project already approved by the Council is proposed, the project will be reprioritized (not reapproved). For the purpose of this process, a significant change is one that either (a) increases the scope of the project such that the number of IT resource hours are increased by more than 20 percent or (b) extends the timeline of the project by 20 percent or (c) substantially alters the risks and/or benefits of the project to the University.

2.6 Subcommittees and Working Groups

The Council shall establish subcommittees (long-term standing committees) and working groups (short-term committees for specific initiatives) as needed in support of the Council.

Subcommittee and working group operational aspects:

  • Schedule regular meetings to accomplish stated objectives and provide requested deliverables in a timely manner.
  • Present periodic updates to the Council.
  • Deliver recommendations to the Council for consideration and subsequent approval by the EVPP and the EVPCFO.

Subcommittee and working group reporting expectations:

  • Each subcommittee shall submit an annual report to the Council Chair at least two weeks prior to the first scheduled meeting of the Council each academic year.
  • Each working group shall prepare a final report upon completion of the requested deliverables.

2.7 Support

The LSU A&M CIO shall serve as the Staff Liaison to the Council with support provided by Information Technology Services (ITS) as follows:

  • Development of appropriate documentation in support of the Council.
  • Coordination of all facets of meeting support for the Council and all subcommittees or working groups, including scheduling of meetings and taking meeting minutes.
  • Communication hub for responding to inquiries and disseminating information, including maintaining the website and content management system.
  • Manage membership of the Council and all subcommittees or working groups, including seeking nominations or appointments, scheduling an orientation session for new members, and providing access to materials via the content management system.
  • Other duties as requested.

2.8 Coordination with Executive ITGC
The LSU A&M CIO shall serve as the LSU A&M ITGC liaison to the EITGC, via participation as an ex officio member, as well as an active member of the Strategic Information Technology Committee. The CIO shall ensure pertinent communications are shared between these groups.

Article 3: Council Formation and Revisions to the Charter & By-Laws

3.1 Council Formation
The IT Governance Council endorsed the founding Charter on October 25, 2017 with subsequent approval by the Provost and the CFO on November 6, 2017.

3.2 Revisions

  • The Charter was revised to clarify terminology as approved by the IT Governance Council on October 16, 2018 with subsequent approval by the Provost and the CFO on October 22, 2018.
  • The Charter was revised to include limited use of a proxy and approved by the IT Governance Council on April 12, 2019 with subsequent approval by the Provost and the CFO on June 6, 2019.
  • The Charter was revised to clarify definitions and add Bylaws to define various operational procedures and appeal processes as approved by the IT Governance Council on December 5, 2019 with subsequent approval by the Provost and the CFO on December 13, 2019.
  • The Charter and Bylaws document was revised to (1) align with the University’s ITG framework, (2) update to clearly reflect new scope as the LSU A&M Council, (3) establish a Vice Chair role and modify terms of executive officers, (4) reflect an organizational change with regard to academic technology, and (5) update membership composition. The revisions were approved by the LSU ITGC on June 23, 2021 with subsequent approval by the EVPP and EVPCFO on August 17, 2021.